The Christian Defense League was founded as a white supremacist activist organization in California, and it later moved to Louisiana.
[3]: 153 However, William Potter Gale claimed that he had founded the CDL along with San Jacinto Capt sometime between 1957 and 1962, later bringing in Butler and Comparet.
[5]: 66 [6]: 6 Following the death of Wesley Swift, Butler took over as the head of Church of Jesus Christ–Christian and moved it to Idaho, leaving the leadership of the CDL to James K. Warner.
When he moved to Los Angeles, he initially associated with neo-Nazi groups, but he ultimately converted to Christian Identity.
[4]: 68 Under Warner, the CDL moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where it merged with the New Christian Crusade Church.